Thursday, February 22, 2018

The CrossFit Open 2018 starts TODAY Each weekly workout will be released on Thursday at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Athletes will have until the following Monday at 5 p.m. PT to complete the workout and submit a score (YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR SCORE, ASK IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS) We will be airing the Open on Thursdays… Read More »

Daily WOD

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric has been used in Eastern medicine for thousands of years as a medicinal herb. Today science has started to back up past claims through studies that show turmeric’s medicinal properties.

Turmeric falls within the ginger family. Ancient medicine used turmeric for its anti inflammatory properties treating conditions like bruises, chest pain and all types of hemorrhaging.

The medicinal proteins within turmeric is called curcumin, which is an extremely powerful anti-inflammatory and one of the strongest antioxidants known to man.

Turmeric for Athletes

Every athlete knows the dual effects of pushing themselves a little too hard in an offseason workout, or getting beaten up in a hard fought game. You feel exhausted but euphoric at the same time only to have the residual soreness within the next 48 hours. DOMs (delayed onset soreness) is the muscle soreness or fatigue that follows after an intense workout. It has recently been shown that turmeric is a great weapon to combat that feeling.

The European Journal of Applied Physiology did a study showing that taking an oral dose of curcumin twice daily reduced DOMs-related muscle fatigue after a lower-body workout in healthy men. The study also concluded that the turmeric supplement can be taken orally in pill form or simply use a serving in your cooking. Along with reducing pain and inflammation of the muscles, the test subjects who took the daily supplement also improved in athletic performance versus the placebo group.

The human body has been found capable of consuming 8 grams of curcumin a day without adverse affects, so overdosing shouldn’t be a major concern. Whether you take it as a supplement or use it to spice up your food, you should strive to combine turmeric with a source of fat and/or black pepper. These greatly increase the absorption rate of curcumin, and many turmeric or curcumin supplements contain them.

Because it’s being labeled across the internet as an incredibly powerful “superfood.” Google “turmeric health benefits” and you’ll find thousands of articles claiming turmeric can do everything under the sun. If you believe everything you read, turmeric can supposedly: